Moving On
by Ema Marsel
Summary: He never thought his life was perfect, simply great, but that all changed when the truth comes out and destroys everything. Now Harry must deal with the aftermath, being a single father, learning to trust and maybe fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter stood facing the window that looked out the back garden, standing tall in his crisp dinner jacket, white dress shirt, and slacks that smelled expensive. He had been catching up on some correspondence before the gala, needing to stay constantly busy himself, so he could avoid the reality of life that was falling about his ears. He had been distracted by the sounds of shrieks of laughter, and the childlike calls of innocence. Harry moved to the window, and took root as he watched three small bodies tumbled together in the back garden, the eldest a boy of seven with jet black hair was laying on the ground as the two younger girls toppled upon his lanky body. The little girls were sitting on him, it looked as if they were wrestling, the girl age five had long red hair, a breath-taking picture of her mother was pounding the boys chest and the youngest a girl with porcelain skin and jet black hair was doing her own attempts of tickling her brother but resulted in pinching.

He heard the door to the library open with an aged squeak but he didn't turn to face the intruder. He knew who it was, their presence was a constant in the Potter Manor house, also the person was his dinner companion to the gala tonight. But he had yet to turn and greet the company as he was quietly battling the conversation in his head as he watched the children play on the magically protected lawn.

Silence was all consuming for the other patron, and he began to fidget but as if it was a struggle of power between the two companions that was constantly battled, he remained stoically quiet walking over to the sideboard and pouring himself a tumbler of scotch. There were only a few thats that Draco Malfoy truly appreciated, and one was the taste of a well aged malted scotch, and Potter was never one to disappoint. Swishing the dark liquid around the crystal tumbler for a moment before taking the first taste, he would have let out a moan in his own personal study, but since the current atmosphere in the library was serious he remained impassive as the seventy five year scotch trickled down his throat. It was almost blasphemous to not outwardly appreciate the drink. He swiftly and silently moved to the floor length window to spy at what was distracting Potter's attention and spotted the children.

The children.

Draco choked down the bitter tasting saliva when he noticed the tight grip Harry's hands were in behind his back. The children were a sensitive subject as of late. It was situations like these that made Draco happy he was childless and still a somewhat bachelor, no matter what his relationship was with the Greengrass heir this week; he was appreciative he was not in the same boat as Harry Potter. Draco had known it had been a long couple weeks since the burst of reality that sent Harry Potter reeling. The first shoe dropping was that of the very public and rather messy split Ginny Potter-Weasley had bestowed upon Harry during a dinner. It had blind-sighted him to say the least. Sure their relationship was on rather rocky terrain, as it had been in the past, but he had not expected nor assumed she flirting with divorce. The idea had never crossed his mind in their entire marriage. But of course Harry did not lose his composure at that moment, nor did he lose it when he read the morning post a week later to find Ginny was now in a serious relationship with an ex quidditch player, and was expecting his baby. Harry had yet to take his ring off, and she was already looking at wedding catalogs the gossip columns said when they spotted her on a quiet autumn afternoon. He only needed a stiff drink after that public slap in the face, but he had remained doing his daily routine with his children, work and public life.

It was the finally shoe drop that caused Harry to go on a bender, he had shown up to Draco's house demanding firewhiskey, goblin's gin and dragonbreath vodka. It was also the first time Draco has seen Harry completely out of control, pissed beyond belief and not wearing his wedding ring. Draco had mistakenly asked what had happened to the golden band that he had never seen the boy who lived without, and Harry muttered something along the lines of cursed it into seventeen million pieces transfigured them into clay pigeons and used them for skeet shooting. A surprising hobby Harry had taken to like a fish to water. It wasn't later when Harry was obliviated drunk, the type of drunk that has results of being obliviated, that he had confessed the most recent of drama in his life. It was so hurtful that Draco took the bottle in hand and tended to filling Harry's drink up more.

But weeks had passed, life resumed and Harry turned into a quieter version of himself. They did not speak of his night of consumption and treaded lightly about the subjects that surrounded the children, Ginny and his ending marriage. So standing in the library with Harry at this point and watching the children play was awkward for more then one reason.

But Draco Malfoy did not excel at keeping quiet, in fact he was quite the chatterbox when he was with his fellow companions, a running joke Astoria and Harry laughed about explaining he talked so much because he was kept mute as a child. It was only half true, confirmed by his mother Narcissa Malfoy.

"How did Hadrian's quidditch camp go?" Draco asked knowing the child's love for the sport. He was born to ride a broomstick at the young age of two had his first broom, purchased by his favorite Uncle Draco, and he was zooming about the garden with Harry chasing him about to keep him from falling to the ground. It was a safe and easy subject to lure Harry from his solitude.

"Naturally he excelled, his quidditch instructor said he had a bright future." Harry said shuffling from one foot to the other. "Their team won the quidditch trial." Draco snorted at the idea of watching a group of six to nine year olds playing the sport seriously was quiet laughable.

"What position did Hadrian play?" Draco asked swirling his scotch a bit before bringing it to his mouth and took another drink. He watched the boy as he rolled from beneath the assault of his sisters, and scamper off away from the fray. He was tall with a lithe build, but not to be misconstrued as weak, he was completely muscle. He figured at this moment, he was a strong chaser, but if he kept his build and bulked up a bit, he would become quite a decent keeper.

"He played chaser, and subbed one game as seeker. He preferred the chaser position." Harry said turning finally from his children and going to get his own drink but returned within the minute and they watched the scene unfold as the two girls, Keely, the red head, and Eilley, the child with black hair, chase their older brother down to the other end of the garden. It was cute to watch the small legs give chase to the taller boy, Draco chuckled at one point when Eilley stumbled to the grass to her hands and knees but was up within moments bounding after her siblings.

"They seem to be managing well." Draco observed looking more at Harry now, Malfoy was breaching onto platitudes of personal turmoil that they typically glossed over in their friendship. He watched Harry let out a harbored breath.

"I haven't." Harry finally muttered his face darkening at the thought of the act. So much has been dumped on his lap within the last month. He looked to Draco and shrugged, "I couldn't bring myself to do it. They are so young, I don't think they would fully understand the gravity of the situation."

Draco blanched at his reasoning, as sound as it sounded he knew it was just the typical Potter avoidance of the issue. That was one of the many things he has become accustomed to as Harry Potter's closer friend, a confidant if you will call it that. He was an olympic gold medalist in the art of avoidance, especially if it surrounded conflict or drama. "Potter, Hadrian is not that young, and the girls will notice soon enough."

"I just want to spare them the hurt." Harry muttered to himself more than to Draco to hear. If Draco had been a girl, he would have melted into the carpet swept Harry into an embrace and hug the hurt from his soul, but he was not of the gentle sex. He stared awkwardly at Harry until finally reaching out and patting his shoulder four times before retracting his hand to his side.

"Always the noble." Draco mused turning back to the children who were giggling as their golden retriever Lucy came bounding across the field colliding with Hadrian and licking his face.

"I don't know how noble it is to betray your children." Harry explained and walked away from the picture outside of the window. He placed the empty tumbler onto the sideboard and readjusted his jacket, easing the wrinkles into manageable creases. This would be the first major gala he would attend without Ginny on his arm, and since the split of their relationship. He began dusting the black sleeve of minuscule dust particles. "Well I mean how does one explain to child that their mother abandoned them."

"For a Frenchmen no less." Draco supplied trying to lighten the mood but Harry's eyes darken at the comment. "Sorry mate, do they have such parenting books that touch on this topic?"

"None that I have found." Harry sighed, his hands went up to his hair and scrunched it out of frustration. It had been true, he had ventured into the muggle London, and in one of the big book stores he had perused the self-help shelves, and the parenting area, but there was no title that screamed, "How To Tell Your Kids That There Is A No Good Rotten Whore." that was the title he had asked the helper at the desk. The girl looked at him as if he had grown a third hair and then she looked as if she was going to cry.

"Well I am sure that anyone would say that honesty is the best policy." Draco said muttering under his breath backing away from the window and staring his friend down. "Maybe not brutal honesty but some form of that, and possibly a new toy to soften the blow."

"They don't have toys that come in the variety that says "I'm sorry mummy is such a loose cow." Harry muttered darkly. His feelings pertaining to Ginny were still quite harsh, around his children he had not uttered her name. The children were use to lapse of time without their mother. She was an international quidditch star turned model. Her job was always her priority, even when she was several months pregnant with Hadrian she had performed a perfected Wronski Feint to win a quidditch match. It was at breakneck speak and if Harry had been at the pitch he would have pulled her off the broomstick for endangering herself and their unborn child. No matter the magical medical releases she had, Harry was always uncomfortable with how free Ginny had been during her pregnancies. Sure he was always kept on bated breath around her exciting lifestyle, but when she was the vessel for another life he had a tendency to become overbearing for her safety.

"Loose cow?" Draco asked about his friends profanity. His smile on his face caused Harry to snort a bit.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know what else to call her, I don't want to slip up in front of the children with angry words, they don't need to have any hatred for her."

"For what she has done, I think their hatred would be warranted." Draco replied. "I mean deserting them is one thing, but the other thing is completely unpardonable. I mean Potter what are you going to do about it?"

It being the last shoe to drop. It had come in the form of the last fight between Harry and Ginny when she had stopped by to pack up her clothing. He had meant to be away, but Eilley had come down with a head cold and no one in the extended family was able to pick her up from daycare. So Harry had to leave work and take her back to the house to find Ginny ransacking their bedroom. Thank goodness Eilley had fallen asleep on his shoulder during the trip home for he had placed her in bed before confronting Ginny, the first time seeing her since she had broken up their marriage at the party nearly two weeks prior.

"_What are you doing here?" Harry asked stepping into the master bedroom, a once cherished room that was filled with many happy memories of lazy mornings with the children and Ginny, but now it was cold, a chaotic mess with clothes, shoes, and luggage strewn about the floor. _

"_What do you mean, what am I doing here?" Ginny spat in his face, her temper heighten as seeing him. "We had discussed that you would not be here while I came to collect my things." It was true, but they had also written and agreed that the time was going to be that coming weekend when he was taking the children to the seaside. _

"_Eilley came down with a cold." Harry shrugged as he moved into the room, noticing her jewelry box was already moved from its spot on the dresser. He eyed her suspiciously. "I thought you were coming this weekend."_

"_Well I didn't want to wait, and I didn't think I had to abide by rules to enter into my own home." Ginny spat returning to her pack, banishing contents of a drawer to the floor as she hastily picked through the different effects and banishing them with her wand into her bag. _

_This ignited a spark in his eyes. "Your house, you lost all claim to call this place home when you broke it."_

_Their words began to slice like knives, and the shouting could be heard from outside and for once Harry was truly happy he had made his house unplottable, the last he needed was this argument publicized, but both began making low blows at one another. Harry claiming she an cheating whore, and Ginny retaliated with her own screams saying he had never been satisfying in any aspects of the word. He retaliated with a blow at her being an unfit mother which caused her to slap him hard across the face before delivering the darkest of verbal attacks. _

"_They aren't even your children." Ginny snapped snidely. "I've been cheating on you since before Hadrian was born." Harry brandished his wand and pointed to the door. His normal bright face was dark, made of stone and ice. _

"_Get out. Now." Red sparks were spitting from the piece of wood in his hand. Ginny turned with a glare summoning the bags, and magicking them to another place and turning on her heels herself disapparating on the spot. Leaving a broken Harry to fall to almost fall to the floor but he caught himself and stumbled down to the study. He needed to look for anything to make what she said a lie. He found a photo album from when Hadrian was born, it was such a happy time. The tiny bundle wrapped in his arms, everyone exclaiming how much he looked like Harry, but Harry stared close at the picture. It couldn't be real. He flipped a few pages forcing his eyes to no believe her hateful barb. Keely had been a spitting image of her mother, a red head at the start of her life but he thought he saw a resemblance of himself in his daughter. A few more pages and it was the birth of Eilley. The picture of him holding the small bundle swaddled in a yellow blanket, his eyes bright and full of love. There was no way her words were true. _

Her words had galled him since they escaped her mouth, and standing in his study with Draco Malfoy reminding him of the horrid facts made bile fill his mouth. He had taken the tests. He needed the truth, and when the results returned it was when the other shoe dropped, and Harry turned up on Draco's doorstep needing bottles to drink.

Because there were no books that said helped a parent with telling his children, "I'm Sorry Your Mummy Is Such A Whore And I Am Not Your Biological Daddy. But I Am Still Your Daddy."

Hadrian and Keely.

The idea of Hadrian and Keely not being his children was laughable, he loved them with every breath since they were born, but the tests confirmed that he was not biologically related to the pair.

Eilley though, his beautiful bird, was confirmed ninety nine percent his child.

Harry returned to the window. He watched below as the kids remained happy, not knowing this truth, a truth he wanted to burry, stifle, wanted to curse into the oblivion. And for now it was going to stayed locked away from the children, and he was going to go to a gala, represent his family name, drink a glass, maybe dance with Narcissa or Astoria, and try to laugh.

He would deal with the rest another time.

**************************************************8888

So what do you guys idea has been puttering around my head for a few weeks. I know I am horrible at starting a story, abandoning it, but I truly feel this has potential to keep in interested.

I hope you all like it. I don't know how far into Weasley bashing I will get, I think I am going to keep it closely to canon with other character pairings, and I will see how much I will involve the Weasley's in Harry's life now. As always I have made Harry and Draco as mates.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Ema


	2. Chapter 2

He felt the heavy pressure around his belly when the bright morning light met his eyes, he stiffly opened his eyelids and glanced to his beside table to his alarm clock and it displayed the hour half past seven.

Shit, he was running late.

But the warm air brushing across his skin brought him back to reality of his bedroom, he stared down at the small body draped across his own, tiny fist bunched close to her mouth as if she fell asleep sucking her thumb. It was a nasty habit that Eilley picked up as a baby, and he had almost had the habit broken, until she reverted back over the past few weeks. It had been a trying time on his child, his beautiful bird, his Eilley. Along with thumb-sucking phase, she has been having episodes of nightmares, and full body contact was the only way to console the child. The doctors and specialists explained it as a side effect of abandonment and being at such a precocious age of three it was common.

He started running a calming hand up and down her back, struggling with the idea his life had become. He wanted to run, away with his kids but how so much was different he didn't have that luxury any more. Harry rolled Eilley onto the side of the bed, tucked her in with her blanket, and created a barrier of pillows to keep her from rolling off the bed. He stretched after taking a few paces from his bed. He stared back at her cradled form smiling for a moment before moving into the bathroom. As he went about washing quickly from his body, and moving to the closet that was attached to the bathroom. Gone were the clothes that belonged to Ginny, all her trinkets, quidditch gear, and modeling clothes. Her shoes had been the first to disappear, and he suspected she actually accioed them because he hadn't noticed any pumps when they got into their fight.

He moved to his side of the closet, running his hands along the different dress shirts, knitted sweaters, sports jackets, evening jackets, smoking jackets, pants made from all sorts of material for work and play. His hand fell upon one shirt, one that he needed to burn, he would set Mrs. Butter on the moment she arrived. It was a blue, long sleeve dress shirt that held no specific significance before the matter happened. He wore it often to the office and causally out with friends, or around the house.

_It was that piece of clothing that you buy and it works with everything. Now he hated the article. He had been wearing it the day he was home from work with the children. Being middle of the summer, Keely and Hadrian were not in school yet, and Eilley was not at daycare, so the sweet family of four were having a comfortable day in, eating pancakes and bacon, sharing their plans for the day. Talks of possibly going to Diagon Alley, or out to Uncle Bill's to Shell Cottage to play on the beach was also a possibility. After setting the children into the tv room to watch some nonsensical cartoon, Harry went about the kitchen cleaning up the morning mess when he heard the slight rapping at the door. He checked in on the kids motioning to Hadrian to look after his sisters before stepping down the hall to answer the front door. _

_He only had the door opened for a mere three seconds before a rough voices started, "Mr. Harry Potter?" A man with a messenger bag, and missing three teeth snapped at Harry. The man was a picture of slimy but Harry didn't have a chance to respond before the character bellowed for a second time, "Are you Mr. Harry Potter?" _

"_Yes." Harry responded warily and the next thing he noticed was a sheath of paper being shoved into his face. The man with a creepily voice muttering._

"_You have been served."_

_This was five months ago. He stood on his doorstep, watching the slimy man walk to the end of the driveway before apparating away. Harry was floored, not evening noticing the legal paperwork, he could not believe that Ginny would stoop to that level giving away his unplottable house. He had taken these precautions as a safety measure. But reality hit him, and he pulled open the papers. They were in Greek. _

_Literally. _

_Ginny had filed for divorce in the Greek court system because that was where she and her current love interest were inhabiting. Striding back into the house he slammed the door shut and moved back to the kitchen. Hadrian was standing the hallway looking at his father, fear shining in his eyes. "Dad-" His tiny voice shaking Harry back to the present. _

"_Hadrian, how about you round up your sisters and lets go over to Auntie Hermione's and Uncle Ron's house." Harry said giving his eldest a bright smile. The child nodded scooting back into the tv room to get his sisters moving. It took little to no effort to get the children moving. Ron and Hermione had two kids at the same age of Hadrian and Keely. _

_Eilley was the baby of the bunch, she had been a bit of a surprise child. Ginny and Harry were both advocates of staying at two, but Harry got a spur desire for one more. It had also been a rather easy pregnancy since they had gone the route of surrogacy. The only way Ginny would agree to having another child. They had had problems conceiving Keely. Hadrian's birth had nearly wrecked his mother, that the doctors said to be weary about having a second child let alone a third. Keely had been dubbed a miracle. There had been two miscarriages between the birth of Hadrian and Keely, and tears were wept with each passing hope as did a sliver of Harry's heart. That was until he was able to breathe once hearing the piercing screams of Keely in the delivery room. It was such a happy moment and he almost felt complete. It was almost a year later that he broached the subject with Ginny. _

_Another baby, another round of the arduous fight of fertility, and she said no way in bloody hell would she consider it. It took another month to see the changes in Keely from baby to toddler to get Ginny to consider the idea. They went and talked to a doctor, a specialist in the field, and after a quick examination, he delivered the sad disparaging news. Ginny was unfit to carry another child. It had been a breath of fresh air for Ginny, she had been reluctant in the idea of carrying another life and ruining her body for yet for another year. Harry was saddened. The specialist did give them options, adoptions, IVF, surrogacy. _

_Ginny was more then happy and open to the idea of surrogacy, and the idea of yet another baby gave Harry hope for the future. Their future. Ginny had been distant as of late, and he wanted to pull them back together, a baby always seemed to be the trick. _

_And the journey went on, and nine months later, they had a beautiful daughter, that the moment Harry held her in his arms he knew his life was complete. _

"_Are we ready to go?" Harry asked looking at the kids. He had Eilley sitting on the counter as he buckled her sandals to her feet. She was talking to her random language to her imaginary friends, while Keely and Hadrian were bounding about the kitchen in a mock sword fight. Keely dressed in a white sun dress with her red hair braided back, while Hadrian was clothed in shorts, shirt and sneakers the two were dramatically dueling with foam swords. The two were nuts. "Your brother and sister are nuts Eilley." He muttered to the little girl who giggled. "Enough you two, lets go." The two jumped apart declaring a stalemate. _

"_Until next time you guttery buttersnipe!" Keely snarled in her pirate voice. Harry rolled his eyes and grabber her hand with the arm that was holding Eilley, and took Hadrian's hand in the other who had used his foam sword to take another whap at his sister's words. He side apparated during the moment Hadrian opened his mouth and the words, "BLOODY TAVERN WHENCH" came screaming their arrival in Ron and Hermione's kitchen. The pair were seated at the kitchen table, Hermione jumped to her feet to help Harry as he tried to dislodge his children who had resumed their fight while trying to keep Eilley from falling to the ground. Ron was smirking into his cup of coffee._

"_Good morning Harry?" Ron asked his salutations. Hermione had relieved Eilley from Harry's grasp who had taken the child into her lap and moved back to the table while the two older kids had scampered off with Ron and Hermione's children Rose and Hugo. Harry took his place on the opposite of Hermione and next to Ron. _

"_It has been interesting." Harry said but he was truly here to talk to Hermione. She was evasively wrapped up in Eilley so he could not get her attention but he went about catching up with Ron. Their relationship had not had any effects from the strain of his pending divorce. In fact, it was the one thing Harry was completely surprise by, the family had not corralled around Ginny, they had kept a supporting stance on both sides of the family. It was moment later when the dishes were cleared and Ron and Harry had gone out to the back paddock to set up the quidditch pitch for the kids, also set about the wards to prevent injury, that Ron had waved Harry off to the house when Harry mentioned wanting to check on Eilley and get a drink. _

_He followed the sounds of laughter coming from the library makeshift study that was Hermione's office. It was her nook for her books and work. She was sitting at the desk reading a magical book about a cat trying to catch a mouse, and it would interact with the child reader having it be the cat's paw. Eventually the cat and the mouse became friends and the book ended in a hug. But Eilley giggled every time she got to swipe at the mouse. _

_He stood watching his best friend and his daughter have a fantastic time. He cleared his throat catching Hermione's attention, who had let Eilley down when noticing Harry, her face paled but she smiled at him. _

"_Hi Hermione." He said softly taking a seat across from her desk. _

"_Hi Harry." She responded her smile not reaching her eyes but Harry had more pressing matters. "How are you doing?"_

"_I-I-" He could not lie to his her, his sister. "I needed your help." And he proffered the sheath a paper that had interrupted his morning and dropped it on her desk. "I was served today, and I needed help with translation and what my next action would be."_

"_Harry, I don't know." Hermione said picking up the sheets of paper. "It's in Greek."_

"_Yeah I guess its Ginny's sick way of a joke." Harry muttered darkly and quietly so to no catch Eilley's attention who was sitting on the floor with a different picture book. Hermione's face paled._

"_I don't think she meant it like that Harry." Hermione said trying to placate her friend. "Maybe it was a mix up in the documents."_

"_Be that as it may, Hermione, I need to know what I need to do." Harry said muttering know how calculating Ginny was, it was no mistake. Hell he wasn't even surprised by it, but since Hermione was the lawyer of the family he knew he could rely on her help to navigate his next step._

"_You should seek legal counsel." Hermione said quietly. Harry's face snapped up from looking at Eilley who had resumed talking to her imaginary friends about the book. Hermione's face had become gaunt and pale. Realization spread into his eyes while she was hastily explaining her apology, "I'm so sorry Harry, I didn't realize it was coming to this, I didn't know this is what she had in mind."_

_She had chosen Ginny over him. Well of course she had, Ginny was her husband's sister after all. Hermione was a Weasley, as was Ginny and Ron. It was like a knife to the gut as he stepped up from the chair. He quickly grabbed the Greek divorce document. "How?" He asked tersely and the tears began to silently spill down her cheeks. "Why?"_

"_I don't know how." Hermione said sadly. Harry scoffed and Hermione let loose a sadden sigh. "No seriously, I was having lunch with her about two months back, when her modeling career was beginning to take off and she asked to retain me. Harry, I am so sorry if I had known she was planning this I would not have signed the damned contracts."_

_Her voice was beginning to elevate. Eilley stood up looking at her father and her aunt exchange heated words. "Daddy?" She questioned warily. She had always been an observant child, not spared the heated words during the first few years of her life between her parents. She had not been shielded from their fights. _

"_All is well Eilley bird." He said comfortingly patting her head before swooping her into his arms and hugging her to his body. He turned to look at Hermione who was eyeing Eilley with sadness. "What is it Hermione?"_

"_Nothing. I'm just really sorry Harry." Hermione said not forthcoming with any information. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked, his voice broken and Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his green eye stare. It was her favorite attribute of Harry, and Eilley was the only Potter child that had carried on the trait, making her Hermione's favorite niece. That was until she was let in on some horrific information from Ginny, even more reasons she was beginning to hate her sister in law more recently. She blanched when Ginny told Hermione of her plan of attack; it would utterly destroy Harry. _

"_I couldn't. Ron didn't even know I was retained by Ginny." Hermione said, and Harry noticed how tired she looked. This was definitely weighing on Hermione but his hostility only ebbed a bit. _

"_Well, so you are saying." Harry said waving his hand about that was still holding the legal papers. _

"_That due to client confidentiality I cannot say a word unless I want to be sued or face criminal charges." Hermione sighed, the contract she signed with Ginny was incredibly ironclad, one she had doctored up by one of her other ruthless bastard of attorneys. "I didn't realize what happened, she just said she wanted someone in the family to help her navigate some legal contracts. I didn't know this was coming."_

"_I see." Harry said gently rocking Eilley who was laying motionless in his arms. She had always been the best cuddler of the three kids. Hadrian had been a child of speed, keeping still was not for him. Keely had been a heavy sleeper, but hated to be touched by anyone but Ginny. Eilley had been his from the moment he picked her up. She would just sink into his arms. _

"_I'm so sorry Harry." Hermione said, a tear fell down her cheek. "For everything, please don't let this destroy our friendship."_

_Harry grimaced. "Would it be alright if I left Hadrian and Keely here for the night?" He needed to get some work done, and keeping all three children busy while doing work was impossible. Eilley was self sufficient and with where he was going she would be kept busy by other adults. _

"_Absolutely Harry. We love having them, I can keep Eilley as well." Hermione offered, but Harry shook his head and pulled away from her outstretched arms. Hermione winced which caused a pain in Harry's soul but he needed to get his ducks in a row. _

"_No it is fine. I can take her." Harry said trying to subdue the hurt that was surrounding their friendship. "I will be in touch Hermione." He said briefly touching her arm and moving out towards the backyard to the pitch. Harry explained his departure lightly to Ron, hiding the fact of the divorce papers and the fissure Ginny was creating in their friendship and family. The kids were more then happy to stay, plans were decided to keep the kids through the weekend and Harry would collect them on Sunday at lunch at the Burrow. _

_With a invisible tearful good bye, Harry apparated away, but not home. He was standing on the front stoop of another manor house. The palatial home of Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, and Harry reached forward and rang the door bell. Narcissa was the first to answer, gone were the days of house-elves, and the moment she looked into Harry's face she gasped and wrapped her arms around the young man, squeezing Eilley in between their bodies. _

_She ushered him into the living room calling to Draco who was currently in his study on the main floor. "Draco come instantly." She demanded after her first call of his name was met with silence._

"_Bloody hell mother." Draco muttered walking into the room, but he noticed Harry and he stopped his words. He gave the documents to Draco, who instantly charmed the documents to translate into english. After retelling Narcissa and Draco about his meet and greet at the Granger-Weasley household, Draco ushered Harry into his study leaving Eilley to play with Narcissa. _

"_What does it all mean?" Harry asked his friend, although Draco had sat for the bar and had become a barrister he never practiced the law for issues such as these. He had taken over Malfoy businesses. Family law was one course he did not pay attention too._

"_It says she is taking legal action for divorce Potter." Draco said gruffly as he read through the first few clauses and pages. His eyes widened at the second to last page. He was floored after reading the sentences. "She is wanting sole custody of-_

"_But she is never home. How can she demand sole custody of the kids." Harry demanded, his voice raising and Draco looked impassively at his friend. "If she gets them, she will take them and then ship them off to some boarding school for more then ten months of the year. Hadrian and Keely might handle it alright, but Eilley had just turned three. She was still a baby in his eyes, so not prepared for the abandonment. "I am with them most of the time. How can she want sole custody of-_

"_Potter are you quite finished?" Draco asked his tone was direct but yet sincere. "I wasn't done. She wants sole custody of Hadrian and Keely. She wants nothing to do with Eilley."_

"_But-"_

"_It says here that she wants sole custody of her biological children." Draco read, "It has nothing to do or say about Eilley."_

"_But why would she do that?" Harry asked feeling flushed. He knew that Hadrian and Keely were not biologically his, but his name was on the birth certificate, taught them to walk, talk and read, and held them when they were happy, sick and sad. All of that was more then enough to be their father. Blood meant nothing at this juncture in time. But Eilley, why would she exclude their youngest._

"_It says she only wants biological custody of her biological children." Draco reiterated, he was hoping Harry would read into what the document was implying. "Potter think about it."_

"_But how?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged not knowing the sleeping patterns of Ginny and Harry. This was all becoming extremely sordid. "We did surrogacy with Eilley. We had to have the zygote planted. You don't think she would have messed with-"_

_Harry stood up immediately and rushed to the living room to find Eilley and Narcissa on the couch, Eilley was "reading" her a picture book while Narcissa was parting the child's hair and beginning to braid. "Really your father Eilley needs to take a course on doing a little girl's hair." Narcissa muttered under her breath but was distracted when Harry came marching into the room with Draco trailing behind. Harry rushed down to his knees kneeling before his daughter taking her head into her hands. "It's not possible." He looked into her eyes spreading his fingers across her face, the flesh pads of his digits dancing across her skin. It was possibly the first time he had ever searched his daughters face. Sure it was uncanny that she favored the Potter's genes, but seeing how Keely was an exact replica of Ginny, it only made sense. But now as he gripped his daughter's face softly the realization was dawning on him. _

_This was his child yes, but not his child with Ginny. She had not one drop of Weasley blood coursing through her veins. _

"_Oh my sweet Eilley bird." He said dipping his head against hers. "I love you so much."_

It was nearly five months since the episode in the Malfoy living room. Five months of legal counsel acquired by some powerful friends of the Malfoys, the plan of attack was to bend to Ginny's wishes. Harry had no true legal claim over the two oldest, and Ginny made that perfectly clear. He had wanted to spare the turmoil for Hadrian and Keely and gave them silently to Ginny at a tearful handoff at the Burrow. He had explained to Hadrian that he needed to watch out for his sister, that he would write often and that he loved him very much. He told Keely that she was going to spend some time with her mum and become a princess of the Greek Isles. He hugged them both for nearly five minutes before tearfully pulling away taking Eilley in his arms and returned to his empty home. Their clothes, toys, rooms had been emptied to make the adjustment easier. He put Eilley down for an afternoon nap, and he moved about Keely and Hadrian's rooms, silently crying.

He did not want to wake Eilley.

But he was broken.

And now he was back standing in his closet trying to adjust to his and Eilley's new reality. His hand was holding the cuff of the blue shirt. He ripped it from the hanger and tossed it to the floor, his wand in hand wanting to curse it directly but he had refrained from magic to prevent any sort of outburst. His emotions had been all over the place. He would leave it on the counter for Mrs. Butter to dispose of. He grabbed a soft grey gotten shirt and pulled it over his frame and then pulled on a comfy pair of chinos when he heard the cry of his daughter. He rushed to the bed and swooped the child into her arms.

"Good morning sweet bird." He said kissing her cheeks and swung her around the room. Her cry forgotten and a giggling escaping her mouth. "What would my little bird want for breakfast today?"

"Pamcakes daddy." Eilley smiled and hugged her body around his neck. He moved downstairs and set her on the barstool at the breakfast bar. He went about the kitchen getting the pancake batter mixed. He was caught off guard when Mrs. Butter came walking into the house while he was putting the finishing touches on the monkey inspired chocolate chip shaped pancakes. He was having an intense discussion with Eilley about the difference between rainbows and sparkles. It was her latest fascination.

"But what about sparkly rainbows?" Mrs. Butter asked putting down her giant bag. She had become a godsend for Harry and Eilley after their world fell apart. She was an elderly addition in the form of a grandmother or dear aunt who had fallen for the single father and sweet young daughter. She was a non-magical but she knew of the magical world because of her muggle-born sister. She strode over to Eilley and hugged the child into her body.

"Sparkly rainbows?" Eilley asked herself and returned the hug to her Mrs. Buddas. "Leighton don't like it." She explained her imaginary friends opinion.

"Leighton doesn't like it, you mean." Mrs. Butters said pinching Eilley's sweet cheek. "Now eat up little bird." She motioned to the plate set in front of the little girl. "Mr. Potter do you need anything done specifically today?"

Harry smiled at the nanny turned house keeper. Or was she a house keeper turned nanny.

"Just a shirt that needs disposing." Harry said and she nodded. Harry kissed his daughter's head. "Be a doll for Mrs. Butters today okay Eilley?" Eilley smiled at her father. "I will be home at five. That is one two three four five." He held his hand up and counted each finger. This had also become routine to reassure his daughter he would be back.

"Love do you pumpkin." He said he waved good bye to Mrs. Butters and moved out the door to continue about his day.

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I hope you guys enjoy this addition. I just needed to lay some foundation. It will get lighter?

Enjoy

Ema


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you done with your fruit or are you just going to keep playing with it?" Draco's voiced drawled breaking the silence in the breakfast room that morning. He had been sitting at the head of the table, hiding behind the morning paper under the false pretense that he was reading the morning dribble. To anyone besides the other occupant in the room, normal visitors to his London town home, such as his mother, Astoria or Potter, would have called him out on his bullshit, but since not one of the three were currently present, he was able to avoid eye contact of the bright green eyes blaring into his skull.

It was unnerving how much her eyes reminded Draco of her fathers.

He folded the newspaper pages down at the corner to gaze at the child, who now had her green eyes trained on the Malfoy heir. This had been a start of a routine for the pair. Draco would start each morning raising with the sun, do his normal personal grooming, work for an hour and then go wake the slumbering child. She was a late sleeper, Harry always said that if he allowed it Eilley would sleep the day away. He and typically pajama clad child would make the walk to the breakfast room and have a silent and peaceful breakfast. Breakfast would be a half hour affair until Eilley would get to the point she was pushing food around her plate, typically causing it to fall onto the floor or table. This would distract Draco and he would force himself to engage with the child.

But trying to engage with a child that was practically mute was a difficult thing to do. It was yet another phase, according to some child physiology specialist. Harry had reached out for all sorts of opinions and at this point, it was just another contending with difficulties mechanism Eilley was going through to deal with the change.

Eilley was staying with Draco for the time being, that is how he explained it to friends and family as if there was no end in sight, and he was the only person the child had left in the world. But truly Eilley was spending a few days at Draco's house because he was the only out of the few in Harry's trusted circle that was able to keep her at his house for the entire time Harry was gone on a business trip. He was also the last one Harry approached, but since Astoria was busy working two of the four days, and Narcissa was traveling to France at the end of the week, and the Weasley's were a sensitive subject, Harry turned to his mate for a favor.

"_Look, I will only be gone for a few days. Four tops, and Doctor Rassamus said that keeping her in a stable setting, not much change would be best. She knows and loves you, and you are the only one that could keep her for the entire time without needing assistance from daycare." Harry said trying to persuade his friend to take Eilley for the time. _

_Draco had been skeptical the first time Harry had posed his request, shaking his head, "Harry, Eilley hates me."_

"_Draco she is only three, she has no idea what hate is." Harry said letting out a frustrated breath._

"_Have you ever seen her say three words to me?" Draco asked. _

"_No, but since she is going through her phase, that will be perfectly okay." Harry said with his finger to his chin as he thought about his daughter and her godfather's lack of relationship. "This might be good for you. To carve out a relationship with your god-daughter."_

"_Potter, the only carving that will happen is Eilley will do to my patience and growing dislike for me." Draco muttered. _

It was not that Draco had any ill will towards the child of three, no he had ill will towards all children in general. Especially the ones younger in age. He didn't understand how to cope with their lack of verbal skills and inability to express their needs through means sans crying. It was nerve racking trying to level with a child, let alone trying to interpret what their wants and desires were. But that was all good because Draco Malfoy was the consummate bachelor-er, man of relationship leisure with no child-like baggage.

His relationship with Astoria was confounding on any level. She spent nearly eighty percent of the week sleeping in his master bedroom, had about thirty percent of her personal belongings in his closet and had her post forwarded to his house. Yet they had no official title, and the idea of marriage made Draco's throat constrict. The level of maturity and idea of putting another person before himself was a foreign idea he had no desire to learn.

So taking Eilley for the week was a big step in the growing up department for Draco. He did, of course, have help from Astoria, Narcissa and the friendly Mrs. Butter but it was sparingly. The first day, he had done as much as he could think of, he dragged the child to three amusement parks, and a zoo, he had stuffed her full of sugar and junk food to the point of her booting the contents of her stomach down his back when he was carrying her home from the last park. The slimy residue still caused him to shiver when thinking of the feeling.

After a severe scolding from his mother and Astoria, he promised to lazy second day, but the silence was maddening. So plugged in the muggle television contraption and spent the entire morning watching cartoons and children's programs until Astoria got home and saw what his plan was, she let out a bit of shriek when she saw Eilley was still wearing her pajamas, and had yet to be bathed. Astoria took control of the rest of the day.

Now Astoria was at work, his mother was in France and Mrs. Butters was visiting her sister up north, and Draco was in a eye standoff with a three year old that had grape jelly smeared across half of her face mixed with break crumbs, egg bits and pieces of watermelon.

"Well Doll what would you like to accomplish today?" Draco asked setting the paper down and Eilley put her hands up to her face resting her elbows on the table and responded to his question with a stare.

"I think we should cut off all your hair." Draco supplied an answer to his question. Her eyes widened but only by a fraction of a sliver. "You know a nice bowl cut, I could completely manage it."

Draco reached forward and tipped a bowl containing various pieces of fruit onto the table. This caused apples, oranges and bananas to roll to various points of the table top, and Draco held it out to Eilley. The child took the menacing flatware and looked at it disdainfully, letting it drop to the floor. Draco chuckled and stood up from the table and picked up the kid.

"Okay Miss Potter, lets go get your presentable for the day." Draco said and then muttered to himself, "Seems its a big deal to your Auntie Astoria."

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It was later that afternoon, and all was silent on the main floor of the townhouse. Draco had put Eilley down for a nap after a pretty normal morning, they had walked to the park, and Draco watched on as she interacted with kids her own age, silently but still played with others on the playground and digging in the sand. After a quick bite to eat at the hotdog vendor, they returned back to the house for her favorite afternoon program during which Eilley fell asleep.

He was working in his study when he got a bit restless. Her afternoon nap was typically a short affair, depending on the amount of endurance of the morning, but it had been a good three hours. Harry had warned him to not let her over-sleep in the afternoon because then she was a right mess the rest of the night. So he quickly trotted up to the second floor east wing, where all the guest rooms were located, and he quietly opened the door to the converted child's room.

It was empty.

"Shit." He muttered and rushed about the rooms remaining on the floor. All were standing empty, no child in sight. He moved hastily back down the stairs in search of the miscreant.

"Bloody hell, is shit like this I warned everyone about." Draco snapped as he walked from the dinning room to the living room. It was there he heard the audible gasp and he knew he had found the child.

Hiding beneath the grand piano. Her legs sticking out from below was the give away. "Eilley, come out doll." He said trying to engage the child to come from her hiding spot. He saw the shake of her body and he took it as her declining his request. He sat down besides the piano and surveyed the room.

Sitting right next to the couch was a bowl, a pair of scissors and a shock of black hair.

"Blood hell." Draco whispered. He gently tugged on Eilley's foot dislodging her from the space and pulled her into the sunlight. About three quarters of her long hair was cut at odd lengths. The best way to describe it was as if a weed whacker had gotten a hold of her hair. "Doll, what did you do?"

He reached forward and touched her hair, and she shied away from his touch and large tears began rolling down her face. 'Oh bloody wonderful' Draco sighed he reached his arms out for the girl but she look at the blond her eyes shinning with tears and distrust. "Eilley, come on, be a good girl. Come to Uncle Draco and we will sort this out."

"NO." Eilley screamed the moment he reached to pick her up and Draco fell back. She dove back underneath the piano, and Draco brought his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Eilley, if you come out, we will go to the toy store and you can pick out anything you want. But Doll you must come out from the piano, so we can fix your hair." His offer was met with silence.

Oh bloody hell.

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Draco was pacing about the emergency ward of St. Mungos. He had made it past the first round of wards a place call triage. The battle ax of a Healer's assistant was skeptical about the emergency aspect of the little girl in Draco's arms, but after enough name throwing, he was able to enter the emergency ward.

Now he was impatiently waiting for Astoria to make her presence, after paging her two times and prompting the nurse to reach out for the third time he heard his name being called.

"Draco Malfoy, what are you doing here?" It was a voice he had not heard in possibly a decade. Standing behind him, covered in paisley pink robes stood Pansy Parkinson. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, her face was covered in make-up and her eyes were trained directly on Draco. The last he had heard any news about Pansy Parkinson was that she married an older pureblood wizard with a vault full of money. Then about three years after their nuptials, the wizard passed away in his sleep.

Pansy had conveniently been vacationing in Majorca at the time of his untimely expirations, but no one raised a hair at foul play. Since his passing, Pansy had the capital to afford the lifestyle she had wanted and became accustomed to, and now was the ultimate social light trouncing about the pages of the social rags and magazine covers.

"Um Pansy." Draco toned not particularly excited to see his old classmate. Especially one that had tried to drug him into marriage the last time he was in the same room as her. It was a long night, a mix of potions and compromising positions. None was which happened to Draco, just Pansy.

"The last wizard I thought I would be bumping into today would be you." Pansy smiled and glanced at the child in his arms. Her eyes travelled to his fingers, and noticed no ring. "And you catch me in such a disarray."

"You look quite well put together Pansy." Draco replied falling into her trap. He knew if he had not given her a compliment it would be improper and he didn't need her to have that to hold over his head.

"Ahh such a charmer, Draco you were always a doll." Pansy laughed and reached forward to touch his shoulder. "Who is this little angel?"

"Um, Eilley." Draco said, focusing on the finger nails that trailed down his arm. He refrained from shivering from disgust. "My goddaughter."

"She is a adorable." Pansy said. "Eilley my name is Pansy." Eilley who turned her eyes to observe the witch that just mentioned her name. Her green eyes penetrating the tall blonde but Eilley's face remained like stone.

"Yuck." Eilley finally spoke.

Draco had to do everything in his power to stop from laughing in Pansy's face. "Sorry Pans- Eilley has had a rough morning."

"Oh that's alright." Pansy's voice was acidic. "Draco lets get together sometime!" Pansy smiled at Draco, glared at Eilley, and moved past the pair and out the door.

"Malfoy!" He turned on the spot and saw Astoria standing in the middle of the ward with her hair pulled back and dark blue healer scrubs with prancing unicorns. She spent the majority of her time on the pediatrics ward, an explanation for the theme on her scrubs.

"Bloody hell." He muttered and after hearing Eilley giggle. "Shit, I mean shoot, sorry Eilley, Uncle Draco will take you to the toy store after this and buy you a new toy."

He walked over to his girlfriend who was watching him suspiciously from the nurses station. "Hi Doll." He said with a handsome grin on his face. Her face showed no emotion to the normal observer, but since Draco had been seeing the Greengass gal for quite some time, and he knew how to read her moods. Her eyes were a bit wider then normal, and she would flare her nose every fifth or sixth breath. These were the telltale signs that she was either angry or jealous. Most of the time it was when she was angry.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Astoria asked tucking the errant curl around her ear. This was another sign to show she was mad, avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with her hair. That and she was avoiding the use of his first name.

"We have an emergency." Draco said. He shifted Eilley in his arms and turned the girl so Astoria could look at the girl straight on. It took a moment for Astoria to look up from the chart and looked at Eilley. Her eyes moved about the little girls face.

"She seems fine." Astoria said holding her arms out to Eilley who fell into her embrace. Eilley was a sucker to snuggle.

"Fine, did you see her hair?" Draco said tufting the girl's hair.

"Yeah," She kissed Eilley on the forehead.

"What took you so long to get down here?" Draco asked.

"It's Eilley's hair. She will be fine, it will grow out in time. Go take her to a salon." Astoria said still not looking into Draco's eyes. "Nurse Hallie explained what your big problem was, and I was busy at the moment."

"So it was the nurse." Draco glared in the nurse's direction.

"You will not do anything to effect her job status here Draco." Astoria snapped cutting off his brain and the idea that was percolating within. "She is a fabulous asset to St. Mungos and besides you don't have that much clout. Well maybe if you are sleeping with someone on the board, the Parkinson whore could get it done."

"Sleeping with the board?" Draco held his arms out to Eilley once more. The two exchanged the child. "Are you jealous Astoria?"

"Get out of here Draco." She sighed and walked away. But she got only three steps before hearing.

"Doll you know you are the only witch I am banging." He said it loud enough for everyone within the vicinity could hear. A few giggled, a couple coughed and the nurses were blushing, although Nurse Hallie was glaring in his direction.

Astoria just continued to walk away.

"Come on Eilley, lets go get you a toy." Draco said and side apparated away to his favorite toy store on the Alley.

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_Potter, just sending you a quick correspondence, hope your business travels are getting along well. All is alright here, Eilley finally said something to me today. She had quite the determined voice when she speaks. But that is not the point of this owl, I wanted to know if you know the side effects of a hair growing potion has on a kid, or is it safe to use one at all. There is nothing in my potions book that says otherwise. But if not, how attached were you to Eilley's hair?_

_Draco_


	4. Chapter 4

She felt his breath on the back of her ear, and Victoire Weasley paused for a moment and instinctively grabbed her wand. She felt the warmth spread across her wrist minus the visualization of a hand. So a quick flick of the wrist, it propelled her backwards and a loud "Oafff" escaped a hidden form as she crushed into the wall. Her elbow slipped backwards and contacted with something softer then the cold stone of the castle.

"My my my, it seems I caught a Lupin caught in the act." Victoire felt the silent chuckled rumble beneath her back. She felt invisible eyes wrap about her waist.

"Bonjour Mon-ami." The thick English accent whispered into her ear. It was as quick as her heart flutter but Victoire was twisted about, and engulfed into a silver cloak and now was leaning against the wall.

"Teddy Lupin!" Victoire gasped but when she felt fingers splay across her stomach and his lips connect with her pressure point on her neck. Her fingers went on auto-pilot to card through the hair on the back of his neck. "You are out past curfew." Another chucked danced across the skin on her neck.

"Always the rule follower." Teddy laughed, Victoire looked up at the seventh year Gryffindor. "Are you going to take points away Head Girl?" His mouth went back to her neck, nibbling softly and his question was only answered with a moan. They spent a few more minutes in a lover's embrace, oblivious in the eerily quiet hallway, and didn't notice the footsteps of high heels moving down the stones.

It wasn't until the feeling of silk being pulled away, and their faces becoming aware of the piercing blue eyes of Professor Donahue, the charms professor and the blunt end of her wand. "Weasley and Lupin!" She snapped her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her purple evening cloak hung casually from her frame. "It is severely after curfew Lupin, and last I check Weasley, paroling the hallways did not include sucking face with their boyfriend."

"We are not dating'-"If that was the case I would so be head-boy" was the response to the professor's question.

"Separate now." The professor requested, seeing the couple still locked in a heated embrace. Lupin looked directly at Professor Donahue, openly challenging her command. "Lupin, do not make me repeat myself again."

It was the forceful shove from Victoire on Teddy's chest to make him step back. " Does this make you happy Professor?"

The sarcastic retort made the eyebrow of the professor raise a fraction of an inch. Victoire's mouth fell open as she gazed at the boy, who's hair was turning from a dark shade of black, his real color, to a dark brown with a flare of red and orange on the tips. It was his go to anger color. Victoire reflexively reached out to touch his wrist but he slipped away from her touch.

He moved towards the professor, challengingly a glare stayed on his face.

"Victoire, I think it would be best to continue with your rounds." Professor Donahue said not glancing at the head girl, but from her dismissive demanding tone, Victoire let one last look towards the pair and headed on her way.

"Lupin, please follow me." Donahue said motioning away from Teddy and towards the open classroom down the hallway. She didn't look back to make sure the teen was following her, she knew he would come because she still held on to his cloak. She set the silver cloak onto the desk, and waited a moment while Teddy finally appeared sullen and angry in the door. "Please enter Lupin."

Teddy moved into the classroom.

"Yes professor?" Teddy said taking a seat in the open chair across the desk from the teacher.

"Look Teddy, I understand that this year has not been the best for you-" Professor Donahue began but the way his hair turned orange caused her to still her stop. "Look the teaching staff here has noticed quite a change in your attitude, your lack of participation in class, and the fact you have yet to turn in your assignments for a few weeks now."

"Your point professor." Teddy toned and he disdainfully glared at the teacher behind the desk.

"That we are worried about your Teddy." Professor Donahue, "And that we care for your future Teddy, your N.E.W.T.s are at the end of this year and it is imperative that you stay up on your studies."

The roll of his eyes and he glared out the window, his eye color mimicking the color the darken sky. Professor Donahue took a deep breath, and shook her head. This was the third time Professor Donahue had caught Teddy breaking the rules at Hogwarts. The first time was during her class when he had charmed the chair of one of the Slytherin students. He had put a permanent sticking charm on the seat of the chair before the student sat down. At the end of class, the slytherin was caught and it caused a whole lot of embarrassment and laughter. The second time was yet another misuse of magic but in the hallways this time. Professor Donahue had caught a couple of the Slytherin quidditch team members going after one of the gryffindor housemates, and Teddy came to the defense of his boy. He manhandled the slytherin group turning them all upside down in mid-air and banished their clothes to burst into confetti leaving all three slytherins in nothing but their skivvies.

If she hadn't been so impressed by the display of magic she would have pushed for more then a few minor point deduction, but she took into the account of his recent family situation.

His grandmother, and sole blood relative, had passed away due to a muggle sickness that could not be cured. It had been a short, painful battle that she succumbed over the summer holiday. She had been vital and alert in June, but by August she was hospitalized, and mid-month she had gone into a coma. It was quite a surprise when Teddy showed up on the first day of school, the teachers were expecting to not see the boy at the feast, but he entered the Great Hall dressed in black and alone. He took a seat at the end of the table and did not talk or glance toward anyone at his table.

The professors had quite a staff meeting regarding the boy, Sessa Donahue had been part of the meeting but remained silent when the other professors had been discussing his situation. The headmistress was one his major champions, saying to allow a trial period before he was pulled into any disciplinary action. Sessa agreed with her boss's assessment, but it had been twice the timeframe and his attitude had yet to change. Now she suspected her boss was playing favorites to the orphan. "Teddy, I understand-"

"Really professor save it." Teddy interrupted her, and her jaw went slack. "I know how this is going to work, you are going to give me a a few lines of sympathy, pat me on the head, give me a speech of encouragement and send me on my way. How about I save you the trouble, and nod my head, acknowledge your words of wisdom, agree with you, and go off to my tower."

Sessa went silent. "This is quite the cloak you have. Where did you get it?"

"It's nothing special, just a gift." Teddy said glancing at the professor and down at the cloak.

"Quite remarkable really. I only caught you and Miss Weasley because it was not long enough to cover your shoes. I tried charming it off but it deflected my magic. How would you think that happened?" Sessa Donahue said and she knew he caught the attention of the young man.

"It's just a normal cloak, I charmed it to be deflective."

"Don't talk to me as if I am stupid." Donahue interrupted his ridiculous excuse. "I think we are passed discipline Lupin. I believe you have been given enough chances to correct your ways. I am going to keep your cloak and set a meeting with your guardian. I have a feeling he might be missing a cloak."

Lupin glared darkly at the professor. "Go on your way Lupin, I will be in touch."

Teddy Lupin was stormed from the classroom and headed in the direction of not his dorm but to the eighth floor corridor. He began pacing and thinking darkly about the professor and his need for solitude. He was so distracted he didn't notice for the second time that night someone was in the hallway. The door appeared and Teddy grabbed the handle. He felt the familiar touch of his back and he let out a sign and the pair moved into the room of requirement.

It was a dark room containing a deep grey sofa, surrounded by dozens of book shelves and quiet lighting. Victoire Weasley propelled them to the couch and they fell onto the cushions in a tight embrace. Her cheek resting on his chest, and she nestled into his body, and she pressed her ear to his heart beat. "Teddy Lupin, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about a quiet room, comfortable and needing a place to calm down. Little did I know the Room of Requirement was able to produce just the person I needed." His hands went to her back and began rubbing patterns of circles into her shirt.

She sighed, "Teddy, you know what I mean. I know that the professors have been treating you with kid gloves, but you should not have been so disrespectful to Donahue. She may be fair but still."

"I am not afraid of Donahue." Teddy said rolling to his side so he was facing Victoire, he kissed her cheek and snuggled his lips to her neck.

"What did she say?" Victoire said her fingers slipped into his hair.

"Oh the usual crap, that I have had a bad year, that she cares and is worried, and that I need to do better." He whispered against her skin. She tightened her hold around Teddy knowing that his sarcasm was fake and his feelings were simply masked. "Doll, you are choking me."

She hugged him tighter, and kissed his cheek. Her hand caressed his cheek, tracing her thumb across his cheekbone. He hair began to turn slightly blue, "Don't Ted, stay with me." He stilled his metamorphosing and looked into her eyes. "Don't shut me out, what did Professor Donahue do."

"She simply took my cloak, and was going to contact Harry." He said, his dark eyes turning into a light brown. His natural color that stilled Victoire's heart for a moment. "This will be over by tomorrow evening, I am betting she gets put in her place by Mcgonnagal and has returned to cloak."

"Teddy I don't know, she seemed pretty peeved." Victoire replied.

"Victoire, don't fret about it, everything will work itself out." He snuggled closer to her body. "Besides Donahue is not the magical being I want you fretting about."

"And what type of magical being should I be fretting about?" Victoire giggled as he kissed neck.

"You wound me Doll." Teddy laughed. Victoire did not get the chance to respond because he kept her lips distracted from any sound.

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Harry Potter did not do well waiting. His time was like ticking dollar signs being squandered away by staying idle. He had been sitting in the uncomfortable office for nearly twenty minutes. He had already scoured the contents of the book shelf, during the first five minutes, and the rest of the time he had spent looking at the various parchments on the messy desk. It was quite cluttered, to the point of annoyance of Harry but he tried not to disrupt to much of the madness in case there was a method to it's design.

Another five minute ticked by, and Harry had already graded twelve of the assignments, in his mind naturally, and corrected a few sentences on the chalkboard behind the desk. It was some notes about various charms. He could not tell if was creating a charm, or breaking down charms.

He was facing the chalkboard when the door finally separated from the jam. "It's about time." He muttered while turning and faced the alarmed Charms Professor. "I have been waiting quite awhile."

"Sorry Mr. Potter, there was a situation concerning a second year." Sessa started to monologue. Her blue eyes pierced his bright greens. "Sorry, my name is Sessa Donahue, did you change my spell-work?"

She waved her hand to the chalkboard. Harry glanced back tot he board, "Perhaps, I was left unattended for twenty minutes, and there were a few corrections to make."

"I see." Sessa said moving to her desk and motioned for Harry to take a seat. "I called you into talk about your God-son Teddy."

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	5. Chapter 5

_I am serious Sess' the entire dinner consisted of him bragging about his life, and the highlight of his life was living in the apartment below where the fight broke out. He went into detail. DETAIL!_

_And this is the kind of guys this dating website has to offer? I deleted my account the moment I got home from paying for coffee because this bloke forgot his wallet. _

_Anyway, I saw your mum_

The letter continued on, but Sessa was distracted by the other thoughts dancing about her head. A few thoughts churning were of a few students in her classes that were falling behind by a bit, which she did not tolerate by standing idly by and watching the student struggle.

Professor Sessa Donahue was a novel professor to the Hogwarts staff. Making her debut to the school at the prime age of twenty six, she was young for a professor for the prodigious school, but her work in her charms applications, along with her record standing O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s she was a contender for the position. Within her first few weeks, she set a standard for her students, and her classroom atmosphere she had a no nonsense tolerance for being lazy. She invested in the education of her students, the moment she noticed a student beginning to develop bad habits, she would work with the student to get back on track. Sessa Donahue was also oblivious to the attentions of the male student body. As if a permanent impervious charm was attached to the professor, because she did not notice the effect her beauty had on the student population. It was a kind of a quiet beauty, the subtle pretty that seemed to go unnoticed for an eternity. Mostly she went unnoticed because her face was hidden behind a thick book, manuscript or parchment role. She was a sponge for learning. Throughout her formative years, she spent the majority of her time in the library or reading a book from the library.

The other thoughts bouncing around her head was the current paper she was working on with a Hadricks Puttershop, a wizard based out of South Africa who approached her at one of the speller's symposiums a few summers ago. The symposium had been on the developmental magic existence and mutation. He had approached Sessa, she had been a guest on a panel of wizards, due to her work developmental and charms. They were now working on a book of the convergence between the two, and the practical use of the types of magic combined together. Over the two years of discussing the idea of creating the manual, the two had been in touch mostly through owl post, and a trip whenever it was feasible.

But the major thought on her mind was the recent interactions she had with a one curious Harry James Potter. Sessa had had her exposure to important figure heads in the wizarding culture. One of her dearest and oldest friend was the heiress of the Malkin dynasties, and was making her own waves in the fashion industries. Sessa had been introduced to various "smart" wizards that were considered the pillars in their area of study. But she had never been so bowled over by such a person. Then to be called in for a meeting with the headmistress was.. well it had been a dressing down to the tenth degree.

_"I had specifically held the meeting concerning the Lupin boy to avoid situations like this." Headmistress McGonagall. "Sessa, I know you want whats best for the boy, but he comes from not the typical situation as the other students."_

_"Orphans from the wizarding war, or the fact his god father is Harry Potter mam?" Sessa's mouth had a way of speaking without censoring itself. The glare she got from her boss had pinned students to tears before in her classrooms. _

_"Neither has to do with the matter of Teddy Lupin-"_

_"Then please enlighten me as to why we have made such concession for the kid. He has yet to turn in an assignment for any of his classes, he has been misusing magic in various areas that would be punished by detention to the point of suspension from school, his disrespect for all his professors is one thing, but most of the younger years are frighten of him. So please Minerva, if he wasn't the godson of your favorite pupil would he be getting this special all access pass to do whatever he wants?" Sessa stared blatantly back at her boss. It had been on the tip of many of the staff's tongue. _

_"You are toeing the mark Professor." The cold town from the Headmistress was saved for special dress downs. "Mr. Potter although maybe a previous student of mine, and one of the largest benefactors of the school, he has no sway over how I treat my students. I have never in all my years of teaching have been accused of favoritism."_

_"I'm sorry headmistress." Sessa responded quietly. _

_"Furthermore, you will be put in charge of this getting Teddy back on track campaign you initiated by reaching out to Mr. Potter, in which you will be required to either establish a weekly communication with Mr. Potter to discuss the progress you have made with his godson. I will also require you to draft an apology letter to give to Mr. Potter, apologizing your gross overstep you took. That is all Professor Donahue." And with that Sessa had been dismissed from the headmistress's office, her descent down the spiral stone staircase was quiet and filled with tension. She had not uttered a word through her entire march from the headmaster hallway, up to her own area of the castle. The first sound out of her mouth was a cross between a yell and a scream._

Her meeting with Harry had also gone quite horrific as well, one that she would not be committing to a pensieve anytime soon, seeing as she was trying to create a memory charm to keep her from rehashing the entire ordeal every hour. This was what plagued most of her random access memory of her brain. She could be mid-sentence in one of her classes, and a word would spark a memory of the ordeal spiraling back to relive the entire exchange for possibly the infinite time since it had taken place.

Often symptoms of being flushed in the face, and wave of discomfort of not being in control of her surroundings, typically her response to his quesitons, and goose pimples would dance across her skin even when she was bathed in her teaching garments.

It was going to be an interesting year for Sessa Donahue.

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"Potter!" The call back to reality snapped Harry to straighten in his seat. He had been reclined in his office chair behind the thick mahogany desk, listening to Draco prattle on for the upteenth time. Both dressed in tailored black suits, only differing in the color of their bowties, Harry's was black and Draco had gone with silver.

'To look more of the pompous that he was.' Harry thought.

The pair had escaped the current charity function that was being held at the Potter Manor house. It was a benefit for some charity that supported yet another cause. Harry also wondered if there was a charity that donated on the management of all these charitable organization. His felt some times with the multitude of galas, events, and parties he endured at the request of Nacissa Malfoy, if he had become of the figure head of being charitable. He had a knack at creating quite the balance between his public and private lives as of late. Three long years had been spent building up walls around the little part of privacy he had left concerning his family. He had devoted his first year spending every moment he could spare with Eilley, nurturing her through all the changes that had been thrown at the young child. The second year, after some serious growth on both individuals, Harry began to cultivate a life outside his walls. An almost shell of the real man he was behind the thick mortar and brick walls, but it was his coping mechanism. The third year was now almost a breeze, he was able to slip between the Public Harry and the Private Harry almost seamlessly, mostly because any connection to the Public Harry was not allowed to be around or near the Private Harry. The only connections that had access to Private Harry knew there was a difference.

Draco Malfoy had been regaling about his last pickup quidditch match with the boys at the club, and also the gossip he heard in the locker room, when he noticed Harry had the glazed expression across his face. He sat silently for two whole minutes seeing if Harry was ignoring him or actually slipped from conscious.

"Potter!" He repeated and picked up a metal paper weight tossing it at Harry. It missed Harry and bounced off the wall and fell to the floor with a thump.

"No wonder the only position you are good at is seeker, because you would be shit if it was a chaser position." Harry muttered as he leaned down and picked up the metal ornament. It had been a gift from Teddy after his first year at Hogwarts. One of the first transfiguration he had successfully accomplished.

"Piss off Potter." Draco snapped, "I was telling you about what Brooks had to say at the club, when you comatosed." Harry chuckled at his friends malapropism.

"It's went comatose you tosser." Harry corrected, "And I did not become comatose, I was tuning you out because I don't care about what Brooks had to say. He is an idiot."

"Fact, but that doesn't mean he has not been a good source of information. The blighter told me of the merger that was going to happen to Crenshaw and Co. The partners are trying to get rid of the old man since he seems to be losing his touch on reality." Draco diplomatically relayed the information.

"Meaning?"

"That with the merger, stock shares are going to fluctuate greatly. Truly it is going to be an easy way to amass yet another fortune." Draco clapped his hands greedily. "Now which way to play the market."

Harry stared at his friend. Somedays that was quite the liberal phrase he used towards the Malfoy heir, he rolled his eyes. "Like you need another fortune."

"There will never be enough galleons in my vault, and now that Astoria accepted-

"You mean tricked."

"ACCEPTED my proposal of marriage, you know how women are and their plights of wanting a small wedding and it evolves into some half-breed monster that you have to stun into submission." Draco said gesturing his hand in large circles to emphasize the statement. "What?" Malfoy asked as he caught Harry thinking.

"Please tell me that you are writing your own vows, and that is part of the bit."

"Oh bugger off Potter. What did you drink at Hogwarts, because you have been such a wet blanket since you went for that meeting." Draco stopped for a moment, took out his wand and practiced some silent magic. A swish and flick later the heir was satisfied, "Oh you are most definitely Harry Potter."

Harry's face soured. "Did you use an unforgivable to coerce Astoria into accepting your proposal? Or did you maybe slip her a potion, to make her a little more willing? Or did you drink some liquid luck, because a woman of her intelligence must have been in some state of impairment to want to marry you."

Draco was known for having a stone face. It was one of the attributing factors that had allowed him to amass so many fortunes, by not giving away even the slightest emotion, but the other side to this attribute was if the person understood Draco enough he was an open book. There were only a few people who could read him, and Harry watched his friend's nose twitched, and the slight eye glance to the wall.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing on purpose, this was not premeditated, but it did make the offer more pliable for once." Draco said swishing his tumbler of brandy. "Would you like a refresher?"

"That's all you are going to give?" Harry pressed the issue as Draco turned his back to his friend and walked to the sidebar. He took his time decanting some more brandy into his drink and replenishing the ice cube.

"This is such a kitsch set you got Potter."

"It was a present from Teddy, sorry for lacking on the opulence your ponce." Harry said leaning back in the chair and fixed his friend with a stare. "Do you want me to guess what you did?"

"No I wish to drop it. As I am a gentlemen-

"Astoria threatened you didn't she."

"Possibly."

At that moment the fireplace came to life, crepitating from the grate and a woman's face came into the floo. "Mr. Potter?" A lyrical voice spoke through the fire. Harry choked on the swallow of saliva. The damn teacher! He had specifically set up a parameter that she was allowed to contact him, and if she was to divert from the schedule, she would owl him first. She had no care for his rules, and he found it incredibly disrespectful. Just another thing to add to the owl, he was more than likely going to be writing after this conversation.

Their conversations tended to end that way. The first time he met with the professor, she had been on the defense throughout the entire meeting. She also accused him of failing at his duties as a godfather, letting Teddy's studies suffer as they were. The last time Harry checked the job of a Hogwarts professor, it was their job to keep the students up on their academics. Not the guardian who was hundreds of miles away. Teddy had only sent one owl post since his return to Hogwarts, which thinking about the number was a bit low, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The teaching staff had not communicated with him in any way, McGonagall was strongest advocate for pushing Teddy to come back to school this year. Harry had not forced him on the train, he had given the boy the out to delay his return to school. Andromeda had passed away only ten days before the start of the term. Harry had looked into his options as his guardian of the completely orphaned sixteen year old.

He had admired Teddy's decision, when he told Harry that he did not want to stay home in London. There had been so much change surrounding him, he had moved to Harry's house over the summer when Andromeda was finally too sick to stay at home. They had moved her to a posh hospice care, and Teddy spent most of every day with his grandmother, reading the paper, talking of memories, and chatting about nothing. The last two weeks she was in a charmed coma because her body was shutting down organ by organ.

The boy continue to go, watching as his grandmum wither into nothing.

But he remained adamant at returning to school. Harry was expecting to make it to King's Cross and turn around with his godson and trolley in tow, but his expectations were proved wrong. He held onto Eilley as the pair waved good bye to the boy and the train.

Harry may have even cried from the disappointment.

"Mr. Potter?" The voice called again. The visage of the professor was becoming more prominent, and Harry let out a silent groan. "Are you there?"

"Yes Professor Donahue. I am here." Harry said turning his chair to focus on the face. In the glowing embers, Harry could almost make out the eye roll. "Professor Donahue do you own a watch?"

"A watch?" Her burning face quirked into confusion.

"Yes, a timepiece that some people wear on their wrist, or keep on walls to know exactly the time of the day." Harry digressed on the explanation. Draco's eye brows receded almost into his hairline.

"Mr. Potter please get to your point so we can continue." The flame snapped, by the tone of her voice, if she had the ability to curse the fire from the grate, Harry would be licked with flames.

"Well as I sententiously designed the times most appropriate for discussion pertaining to Teddy, you would know that this would not be one of those times." Harry waylaid into the professor.

"Oh, sorry I didn't read that part of the post. I tossed it after reading the bit that read like a legal disclaimer, the part where you would be holding me responsible if Teddy did not pass this year." Sessa Donahue explained, "My apologies, but since I have you on the floo lets discuss this week's schedule."

"I am sorry Professor Donahue, but I am at the moment attending an important business meeting." Harry said glaring in Draco's area of the room, who looked as if he was trying to stifle a laugh. He took his wand and dragged across his throat to threaten the Malfoy heir. Then he mouthed, 'One word so help me Gryffindor.'

"Oh that is quite unfortunate, what time would be best to discuss the academic importance of your godson's future?" The grip on Harry's wand was strong enough to snap the wood piece in half, but being magically enforced it could take the beating of pressure.

"Just owl me the plans." Harry let out an exasperated breath. After a quick good night, the fire-face disappeared from sight. "Don't even say a word."

Draco's mouth opened to begin his onslaught of questions and teasing when the door swung open and interrupted his attack.

"What the bloody hell are the both of you doing in here?" A female voice cut Harry short and the two were stunned into silence as the grey eyes of Astoria Greengrass pinned each to the spot.

"Um, calling the nanny-"

"Helping Harry call the nanny"

Her left eyebrow raised a half an inch on her forehead.

"And how is Eilley?" Astoria paused in between looking at Draco and Harry. Harry coughed as if to clear his throat. He stood from the leather chair, its squeaking was the only sound bouncing between the walls of the office.

" Asleep, and safe." Harry replied.

"And you were able to discern that from a phone call?" Astoria asked. Harry was missing the obvious point.

"Yes."

Astoria glared at Harry, "Is there something wrong with the stairs, Potter?"

Harry went red.

Bloody hell they were at his house. Caught in a lie, he was going to do his best for damage control, "My Astoria you are looking stunning tonight! Ravishing as always, lets go for a dance."

He stood up from the desk and strode over to Draco's fiancé, grabbed her arm and pushed her back out the door. "Draco, lets just hope the child gets Astoria's intelligence."

Astoria feet stalled while Draco's eyes went wide. "You told him!" Her whisper was filled with malice. Harry chuckled and stepped from the room with a casual whoops and as he tugged the door shut, the piercing screams of Astoria Greengrass began, and grew dim when Harry entered the ballroom.

'Sorry Mate.' Harry thought, moved into the crowd, found Narcissa Malfoy and asked her for a dance. He preceded to dance the night away with only one thought clouding his mind; Professor Sessa Donahue.


End file.
